


Cutting Out a Different Path

by glackedandmullered



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Superpowers, injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-31
Updated: 2014-12-31
Packaged: 2018-03-04 14:41:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3071879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glackedandmullered/pseuds/glackedandmullered
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Superhuman au, Michael disappeared into the night six years ago, when he reappears it's not in a way Ray expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cutting Out a Different Path

**Author's Note:**

> Wow this is the longest oneshot I've written to date, so glad to be seeing out the year with this!! Happy New Year everyone!
> 
> Loosely based off the movie Push (2009) wherein I stole the powers but changed a few other things. 
> 
> Notes: Massive huge thanks to maffasaur and spiderjockey on tumblr for keeping me going and making sure I finished this beast without crying too much!

He would never understand how he always ended up in these messes. 

Dodging another pallet as it came hurtling towards him, Michael watched it shatter on the metal post to his left, the shards falling down around him like rainwater. Air whipped up a storm over his head, swirling debris in a vicious circle all around him. His feet sloshed through puddles of murky water and he cringed, feeling the liquid soak through the lightweight canvas sneakers he had put on that morning; the water easily penetrated his thick socks and built up in the soles, squelching uncomfortably with every hurried step he took. 

“Come here, punk!” One of his pursuers yelled from a few feet back. 

They were catching up much faster than Michael would have liked. 

“Do you really have- have nothing else to do?” Michael hissed, not daring to turn around to confront them directly. Although a second later he wished he had. 

They had caught him. Of course they had, these guys were gang trained, having spent hours running from cops they knew how to be light on their feet better than Michael could. It also helped that half of them were movers, using their abilities to power their momentum and throw them forward. 

Michael fell forward with the weight of a heavy body on his back and he barely had a second to try and save himself, only managing to put his hands out fast enough to save his nose from smacking against the concrete. A sharp pain lanced through his abdomen but any air used for a gasp had been forced out of his lungs with the force of the tackle. 

Vision blurry, pain shooting up his arms from saving himself, he felt himself being flipped over and came face to face with a very angry, very strong street gambler. If he survived, then later he would question when winning a bet had become more important than his life, but for now he could only focus on the feeling of a clenched fist colliding hard with his face. 

He needn’t have bothered saving his nose. This guys punch felt like he’d hit the concrete more than once. 

The man sat back on his heels, straddling Michael’s waist - something Michael would have made a crude comment about had he not been dazed to hell - and cracked his knuckles menacingly before throwing a slew of heavy blows to Michael’s face. 

His head snapped to the side with each blow. Through blurred vision he saw the third guy, his hoodie and dark glasses hiding his face. Michael was sure the guy must have some sort of fetish for watching guys get the shit beaten out of them because he'd leapt up to follow back there on the street so fast it was dizzying. The guy hadn't even been involved. 

By the time Michael lost count of the punches, he had stopped feeling them. He knew his face must be a mess, swollen and bloody, and a few blows had landed on his chest so he was guaranteed to have broken bones; the loss of feeling in itself was cause for concern, but it was all Michael could do to stay conscious through the attack.

Over the attackers bald head he saw one of the others, Rich, dark skinned with a quaff of gelled hair and blacked out aviator shades covering his eyes. This one studied Michael for a moment, letting his partner carry on his assault for just a moment too long, and Michael’s body exploded with pain as the movers power drove a blow to his chest so hard there was definitely an audible snap.

“Ricky’ll wanna finish ‘im.” The guy said gruffly, finally deciding to step in as he pulled the man on top of Michael back by the scruff of his neck. Michael gazed up dizzily, there was a light at the other end of the warehouse, red and blinking, and Michael focused on that rather than the waves of agony rolling throughout every bone in his body. Even his blood seemed to ache as it flowed. 

“Nah,” The guy shook his head, pulling away from the other mans hold, “I wanna knock the guys teeth out.” 

“You already ‘ave, gerroff ‘im.” Growling, Rich yanked with all his force, throwing his partner at least 10 feet backwards, striding after hi with heavy steps. “You obey my orders, Harford.” 

Seeing another fight potentially about to break out the third man, the voyeur, let his gaze leave Michael and that was all he needed. Using the distraction, Michael blinked to clear his vision - though all he succeeded in doing was smearing a film of red over the world - and rolled over, painfully clawing his way towards the nearest exit. His side clenched with every movement and his head felt like his brain would seep from his ears, but somehow, miraculously he managed to clamber to his feet and get out into the hallway before the three men noticed his absence. 

A shout bounced off the walls as he rounded the corner, staggering weakly. He weaved unsteadily, crashing into the sides of the corridor, each knock winding him more than the last. He could barely see, the red slowly encompassing everything, and black spots danced in front of his eyes. He had to get out of there now or he’d be toast. 

Sharp stabs of pain were slicing through his abdomen with every step, looking down he could have screamed. A thin wedge of wood had embedded itself in the left side of his stomach. Sticking out through the thin fabric of his t-shirt, it was wet with blood.

Without a second thought he grabbed hold of the offending object and pulled. The pain was severe, invasive, and it threw him off balance, nearly enough to knock him completely off his feet. New blood pulsed from the wound, though he couldn’t see it, he felt every wet shift of the fabric against his skin. 

Dimly he realised it wasn’t the best idea. He should have left the thing in, letting it keep the blood held firmly, even if it had caused internal bleeding at least it could be a stopper to keep him from bleeding out. On the other hand it was a possible torture device should the men catch up with him. He shuddered to think what they would do when they saw it. 

Through another doorway, down another corridor, windows to the outside world passing him by, he stumbled through an open arch- and stopped dead. 

The large space that could have possibly once been a stock room was inhabited by three men, all holding excessively large duffel bags, filled to the brims with scrap metals and leftover stock from the warehouses previous life as a woodworks. 

The one in the centre, the one who turned around first at the sound of the intrusion, was tall but hid his form under layers of black clothing. A - pretty impressive - handlebar moustache decorated his upper lip and his eyes widened in surprise as he dropped his duffle to the floor, giving no hesitation before dropping into a defensive pose. 

Michael had no time for questions, he could hear the crashing and jeering that signalled his pursuers arrival; darting to the side just in time to miss the fist full of large, iron nails that hurtled over his head, he saw the other two shifting out of the corner of his eye. 

“What the f-?” The man yelped in surprise, leaping sideways to avoid the projectile that had been aimed at Michael. He landed heavily on his shoulder and Michael felt his wound throb again in sympathy. 

“Geoff! You okay?” One of the others yelled. He was broad and stocky, a thick ginger beard engulfing the bottom half of his face. Similarly he was dressed all in black, the bulk of his sweater making him look vastly more intimidating than Geoff, and Michael tucked himself further behind the shelving. 

“Yeah Jack, yeah I’m good,” Geoff replied, springing to his knees with a hand clasped over his shoulder. 

“The fuck was that?” Beardo said, but seconds later his question was answered by Harford’s arrival at the door. 

He had a shiner blossoming nicely under one eye and he looked nothing short of furious. Glancing around, no doubt for Michael, he settled on Jack; growling, he lunged. 

"So he bought friends!" The thug yelled as he tackled Jack. 

Michael wasn't about to deny it, the blood loss was getting to him more and more as every second passed, making him dizzy and totally unable to escape. If he revealed his position now he'd be done for and, by the way Jack leapt into action, he'd be able to handle himself. 

The third guy, blond and slender but with muscles showing through his tight fitted long sleeve tee, slung his duffel over his shoulder and reached an arm out for Geoff; helping him to his feet seconds before the room exploded into sound. 

Metal racking that once lined the walls crashed down to the floor as Jack collided with them. Rolling over just in time to save his face, he thrust his hands towards the shelves and Michael watched the air around them waver before the metal was flung violently backwards, giving Jack a few seconds to leap out of the way before they crashed back down. 

Michael’s mouth dropped open. 

They were like him. 

Rich rounded the corner, rage in his eyes and, just like Harford, honed in immediately on any fight he could see. This one was Geoff. The two flung out their hands, powers meeting one another in the air and toppling the last of the racking that had been left standing. The third guy was nowhere to be seen - neither the voyeur or the thief - but Michael chose to slink a little further behind the little cover he had managed to find.

That’s when Michael saw him. 

A fourth, wiry thin man with birds nest blonde hair, tucked behind one of the shelving racks. His hands were clutching the metal with knuckles white as paper. 

Michael edged closer, a plan formulating in his mind without any thought to whether or not it was a good idea. It could get him killed or saved, but then again he would be dead either way if he didn’t get help soon. His vision was slowly blinking in and out. 

Reaching into his jacket pocket, Michael sighed in relief at the feel of metal, thankful to whatever God that his safety net was still there. He hadn’t known what he’d be using them for when he had bought the cuffs but this seemed as good a time as any to put them to use. 

“Oi! What-?” The scrawny man squawked, whipping around at the feel of metal around his wrist. “Who the smeg are you?”

Taking no note of the ridiculous vocabulary and unusual accent Michael clicked the handcuffs closed smoothly and the edges melted together; in his haste the metal sealed too close to skin, pinching into the other mans wrist and Michael’s inched closed in the same way. 

“You gotta take me with you,” he panted, his free hand pressed tightly to his side. 

The man shook his arm, tugging sharply on the foot long chain between the two, “Get this off me!” Michael used the last of his energy to tuck his leg around the Brit’s ankle and throw him off balance. 

He fell to the ground with a thud, and Michael clapped his un-cuffed hand over his mouth. A splotch of color on the back of Gavin’s neck caught Michael’s attention but he shook it away. 

“Shh, please, just-you’ve gotta let me go with you.” He pleaded, staring down into the mans hazel eyes. 

If anything, maybe the pitiful state he was in would spark some sort of pity within the thin man. Instead the man continued to squirm. Michael held on tightly, praying he could stay quiet long enough for the other thieves to put a stop to Michael’s pursuers. 

Rich was moving towards the third guy, who had no reentered Michael’s eyeline, hands vibrating with power as he crept up behind. Something inside Michael made him want to yell, to call out for the guy to move, but Geoff had seen him too. 

“Ryan!” Geoff barked, and the blonde swiftly turned. Fists swinging, he managed to get his hands to Rich’s collar, shoving him against the wall with strength Michael assumed was due to his ability. 

He’d assumed wrong. Ryan wasn’t doing anything violent with his prey, only pressing his face very close to the others, talking in low tones and, after a few seconds had passed, Rich lowered his hands, not trying to fight back. Ryan moved away, turning his back on the dazed looking man. 

After a moment, his face started to shift into anger, a snarl on his lips he turned to Harford who was still exchanging blows with Jack. With an inhuman growl, Rich leapt on the dark skinned man, clawing at him, the air whipping up a storm around his head. 

So Ryan was a Pusher then. Michael didn’t know what he’d said, but Rich had become his enemy in seconds flat, and he didn’t look like he would stop until-

The crack of a neck snap was a chilling sound. 

“Where is he?” Geoff screeched as soon as the room was cleared, whipping his gaze back and forth. 

Jack frowned, looking between Geoff and wherever he was looking, “Who?” 

“The guy, the one who came in here.” The guy by his feet lifted his head, dazed, and a thrust of Geoff’s hand slammed it straight back to the concrete with a crack. Blood pooled beneath it. 

Teeth dug into the back of Michael’s fingers. 

“Geoff!” Squealed the Brit, breaking free of Michael’s hold without much difficulty since the redheads energy was fast leaving him. He was up on his knees in seconds, backing away from Michael to no avail since they were so closely attached. 

“Gavin!” Geoff shouted, darting forwards, crossing the room in barely a handful of steps. 

The man growled, fists curled tightly to his side, “Get the fuck off him!” 

Michael shook his head weakly, swaying weakly when the motion sent the world spinning and tilting around him. He held up his shackled hand in front of his face and gestured to the chain that linked he and Gavin.

“Please, I need- please let me go with you.” He begged, yelping in time with his hammering heartbeat when Geoff reached forward and gripped the cuff tightly, tugging painfully at the metal, to no avail. 

“Not a chance, let Gav go!” 

The other two men had caught on now, edging closer with dangerous looks on their faces, and Michael really wished for just a moment that he had just let the gamblers kill him, he wasn’t sure if this would be worse. 

As a last ditch attempt, his energy fading much quicker than he would hope, his world fuzzy and grey, he rasped, “I’m not going to hurt him, I just-”

“You’re fucking right you aren’t going to hurt him,” Geoff interrupted snapily. 

The screech that echoed from the other end of the warehouse froze all of them in the tracks, sending chills down Michael’s spine. 

Jack cursed, grabbing at Ryan, and made a dash for the only exit -the window. 

“Geoff, they’ve got a bleeder, we’ve gotta go!”

Geoff looked torn, glancing between Michael and the door, but they could all feel the walls shaking. Michael’s head was starting to throb beyond the bump he’d received earlier, and he could tell by the wince that flashed across Geoff’s face that he was feeling it too. If the bleeder got in they were _all_ done for. 

The man let out a huff of frustration and clutched Gavins thin arm, tugging him up and Michael with him.

“Fuck it, we’ll take him with us,” he said angrily. 

\---

“What are these things made of, fucking adamantium?” Ryan asked, frustrated as he threw the pair of bolt cutters to the floor of the van. They had barely made a dent in the chain that connected Michael and Gavin. 

Michael said nothing, the wound in his side throbbing with every shallow breath he drew in, and every pot hole they drove over on their way to- wherever the fuck they were going. He could feel warm blood dribbling in a steady stream over his stomach. Both Geoff and Jack had used their abilities to soften the landing from the window as they were escaping, but it hadn’t completely muted the impact and any congealed blood had been dislodged, letting the wound open again. 

He’d known the cuffs were strong, otherwise he wouldn’t have purchased them. An arms dealer in Kentucky had told him they worked with electro magnets, and that the thick metal could only be pried apart using a magnetic frequency within a separate slim piece of metal that only the owner of the cuffs held. Until now, Michael had only seen them in action once, the way that the metal seemed to fuse together until the seam was practically gone was magnificent. 

“We could always just remove his hand.” Geoff said coldly from the front seat, cutting Michael’s thoughts in half. He had stopped breathing so heavily but a cut still bled sluggishly from his hairline. 

Michael glanced up to catch his eye in the rearview mirror, but Geoff quickly became focused on the road once more. It took a few moments to comprehend how he had gone from one deadly situation into another that could prove just as - if not more - dangerous. He didn’t know these guys, they didn’t know him, what would stop Geoff from following through with his threat? For all Michael knew, they could be murderers, superhumans gone to the dark side who could easily kill him and dump his body somewhere for no one to find. 

He didn’t exactly have anyone who would miss him. 

Fortunately he was granted a small mercy as Jack immediately set to scolding the driver, he sounded reasonable, possibly the neutral party in this particular team - every team had one. Michael had never been such a thing. 

He felt a tug on the cuff. 

Gavin was running his fingers along the chain in gentle, almost hypnotising patterns. Before Michael’s eyes, the gleaming metal turned to nothing more than a delicate, silver paper chain. Michael’s mouth dropped open, mesmerized. A Shifter. 

He’d never met one. He’d known of a man in New York when he was small; a man who made the Statue of Liberty disappear for 24 hours, a starlight void and rising sun in it’s place before it reappeared. Michael heard the guy had left the state after the incident, but he knew the truth. The government had taken him...or killed him. It was always one or the other these days. 

Seeing one in action was a whole other story. The way the air seemed to fizzle around the chain, glimmering with barely visible light before the illusion took hold. 

It was transfixing. Until he was suddenly tugged forward by the link between them, losing his balance before falling onto the floor of the van. He landed with a groan, the jostling shooting pain through his extremities and, yes, the wound had definitely reopened now.

“Did you really think that would work, Gav?” A voice overhead said, amused. Michael could hear the raised eyebrow on his face. 

Gavin huffed, giving a sharp tug on the chain in frustration, “It could have, Geoffrey.” He muttered. 

Geoff scoffed, “It’s an _illusion_ numbnuts, you’re fucking stupid.” 

“Well I don’t know what else you’re expecting to do.” Gavin hissed, exasperated and folded his arms, making Michael shift closer to his legs in order to keep the strain off his own wrists. 

The sharp tug had made the cuff dig into his skin painfully, he cradled the sore limb against his chest, not daring to look up. 

“Have you tried asking him if he had a key?” Jacks voice cut across them, silencing the occupants and setting their gazes all directly upon Michael. 

He squirmed under their scrutiny. 

"To be fair we haven't even found out his name yet." Ryan reasoned.

Michael set his jaw, "He is sitting right here." He said, annoyed, only to have Geoff slam on the breaks, forcing them all to grab onto whatever was closest to stop them flying forward. Michael didn't have that luxury and felt his face collide with Gavin's legs. 

Geoff looked furious.

" _He_ doesn't get to give snark," he hissed, "since _he _is the one who stole a ride away from trouble, that was definitely _his_ doing, by cuffing himself to one of us." __

__Michael swallowed and backed down, suddenly feeling very small, “They should be in my pocket if you can let me get them?”_ _

__Geoff regarded him cautiously,“What are you? You’ve gotta be one of us- you didn’t even flinch when you saw Gavin using his ability.”_ _

__“I’m a Shadow,” Michael admitted sincerely, he figured at this point it was best to keep with the honesty, “I’m not dangerous.”_ _

__Ryan nodded understandingly, “that’ll be why Ray didn’t warn us.”_ _

__The name pinched a nerve in Michaels brain, it couldn’t be._ _

__“Get the key.” Geoff said finally and, with slow, steady movements, Michael reached into the pocket of his leather jacket and felt his hand come into contact with- nothing. Nothing but the wet blood that had soaked into the inner lining._ _

__Fuck._ _

__Michael gulped, his face paling even further than the blood loss had already done for him. “I-It must have dropped, when I took the cuffs out, it’s not there.”_ _

__Geoff’s eyes burned with fire._ _

__“I don’t wanna stay attached to this guy forever!” he said quickly, his fast breathing making the world spin, “They’ll come off.”_ _

__The rest of them remained silent. Gavin was shifting his end of the cuffs nervously and the chain rattled between them._ _

__“They’ll come off,” he repeated._ _

__“You bet your ass they’ll come off.” Geoff turned back to the road, putting the van back into gear and suddenly they were back on the road._ _

__Michael caught his eye in the mirror._ _

__“We’ll get them off one way or another.”_ _

__\---_ _

__The hideout was nothing more than a storm cellar beneath the remains of a dilapidated old house. Michael wasn’t surprised; most subhumans had taken to being underground in the wake of Divisions conquest a number of years ago._ _

__The wooden hatch in the ground lifted with a loud slam as they parked up and Michael was being dragged from the back. Any gentleness was probably for Gavin’s benefit but Michael appreciated it all the same since the pounding headache had developed into a fully fledged migraine and his side was definitely getting no better._ _

__A man with a mop of black hair hurried over, his arms gesturing into the air wildly as he approached. Michael could see him through the crack between the open door and the side of the vehicle._ _

__“What the fuck happened? It was supposed to be a quick in and out and then suddenly I’m seeing destruction!” He said loudly, grabbing at Geoff and running his thumb over the man’s hairline gently._ _

__“There were...unforeseen difficulties.” Ryan drawled, closing the door with a clang he shoved Michael forward. The redhead regarded the newest face for a moment and-_ _

__No way._ _

__“Ray?” he said tightly, suddenly feeling shockingly choked._ _

__Ray’s eyes widened comically, “Holy shit.”_ _

__Michael stared, transfixed, “When they said your name back there I would have never guessed…” He whispered in awe._ _

__“Wait you know him?" Jack asked, surprised._ _

__"Knew him," Ray corrected in a whisper,"past tense."_ _

__His cold stare burned into Michael’s brain._ _

__“We grew up on the same street,” Michael mumbled, “We were best friends for a while.”_ _

__“Until you decided to up and run away one day and never come back.” The shadow lowered his eyes to the ground, hands shaking, everything overwhelming._ _

__“Don’t you have anything to say to me?” Michael dug his heel into the soft earth nervously, still focusing on the tiny pebbles embedded in the ground. Ray huffed._ _

__“Okay, forget it.” He scoffed, shaking his head, “What were you doing at the warehouse?”_ _

__“I made a bet,” Michael shrugged, picking at the hem of his shirt with one hand. “Bet didn’t go well.”_ _

__Ray tutted, rolling his eyes._ _

__“Of course you’re a fucking gambler,” He started, but Michael cut in with a useless bark, “I’m not a-”_ _

__“How much do you owe?” Ray continued, ignoring Michael’s attempt._ _

__Michael shrugged again, dropping his gaze back to the ground, “Couple hundred.”_ _

__“Is it just wishful thinking to expect you to say two or three hundred dollars?” Michael gave a minute nod and Ray winced._ _

__“A couple hundred _thousand_ Michael? Really?” Michael felt the corners of his lips twitch in threat of a smile despite the situation. Just like old times. _ _

__“I was going to pay it back!” Ray stared back, eyebrow raised distrustfully._ _

__“I was! I had a plan!” Michael fought weakly, he knew he didn’t sound very convincing, he could barely fool himself let alone the man that had once known him better than anyone else._ _

__"And that plan somehow included handcuffing yourself to my boyfriend?" Ray cut himself short, very nearly stuffing his fist in his mouth as he saw Michael’s head jerk up, a sly smile playing on his lips._ _

__"Boyfriend?" Michael asked with a smirk._ _

__"Shut up."_ _

__"What happened to Ray-I don't do attachments-Narvaez?" Ray reached out and shoved Michael’s shoulder playfully. Although it was supposedly gentle, a sharp stab of pain spiked through Michael’s body as he was jostled, and it took all his energy to keep the pain from his face._ _

__Ray eyed him warily, "I was fucking 15, we’ve grown up," he paused, folding his arms across his chest, “Or at least _I have._ ”_ _

__Jack stepped forward, giving Michael a sideways glance before addressing Ray._ _

__“Sorry to break up this reunion, but we need to get inside and get these things,” he held up Gavin’s wrist, showing the cuffs cutting small slices into his soft skin, “off them both.”_ _

__Ray scoffed and turned around to head back inside, the others doing the same._ _

__However, as soon as they took the first step Michael felt that something was wrong. His head was swimming, the world a dull grey, color bleeding to nothing before his eyes._ _

__“Wait.” He rasped, his breath choosing now to start coming out in short, sharp bursts._ _

__Ray regarded him strangely, they all did, and he would have said more but the edges of his vision were blackening, spots dancing before his eyes and the world was spinning in a violent spiral around him._ _

__Someone touched his arm._ _

__“Michael?” Ray asked, sounding underwater. The hand moved upwards to his shoulders and Ray looked like he was swaying, or maybe that was Michael. Was he swaying?_ _

__Suddenly his knees collided with the hard ground, shockwaves of pain rolling over him and he felt a tug on the cuff from Gavin’s end. Disregarding the sound that escaped the Brit’s mouth, Michael curled his arms around his stomach, bending inwards until his head was nearly touching his knees. His stomach was on fire. Hands touched his back nervously, cries over his head questioning, searching for a response that Michael couldn’t give while every part of his body felt like it was being torn apart._ _

__“Shit, he’s bleeding.” Someone said very close to his ear._ _

__Then everything was dark._ _

__\---_ _

__Lindsay Tuggey didn’t take sides._ _

__She was a Stitch, a medic; she remained a neutral party, the white flag in a warzone that called the ceasefire. Everyone knew she was safe._ _

__No she didn’t take sides but, over the years, she found herself becoming quite loyal to a particular group of misfits. It did help slightly that her best friend was one of them._ _

__Her set up was outside the main city, in a basement below her parents house. Casualties of the Division raids of ‘03 they left her in charge of the building and, since Division had never succeeded in locating it, she knew it would be the safest place to take refuge and continue her parents work. Their mission to keep as many of her kind alive as possible._ _

__Her family had always believed that they needed to work together to stay safe, never being able to understand why everyone insisted on fighting; and they instilled those same beliefs in their daughter. From the day they died, Lindsay made a promise to herself to heal anyone who came through her door._ _

__These days she didn’t need to be a Watcher to know when her boys were coming for a visit, they had a destructive aura that she could practically feel a mile away. She looked up from the dusty old book that she had been semi-reading all morning as she felt the wind shift._ _

__By the time she had dusted off her hands, tidied up the experimental bits and pieces laying around the kitchen, and reached the window to take a look outside, the Van was speeding up the dirt track towards the house._ _

__“Which one of you is it this time?” She said, hands on hips as she eyed them accusingly._ _

__Ray hopped out of the cab, the door just about clicking shut behind him - this was the middle of nowhere, there was no danger of losing it to thrives like the city. His eyes were wide as he rounded the back and opened the doors._ _

__“Lindsay, you’ll never believe this.”_ _

__Jack carried Michael forward, the lads head lolling against his shoulder. He had briefly regained consciousness during the journey before conking out again, now he was struggling to keep his eyes open, face deadly pale, and dizziness clear in his eyes._ _

__“Michael? Michael fucking Jones?”_ _

__Ray nodded, “That’s the one.”_ _

__“Where the fuck has he been? Where have you been?” They all winced at her sharp tone, surprised that she seemed insistent on scolding the man who was practically dying in Jack’s arms, “We fucking looked for you, for ye-”_ _

__Ray stepped forward, holding a hand up to her shoulder and stopping her in her tracks._ _

__"I promise you can yell at him later but we kinda need him to be alive for that." He whispered, glancing back at Michael before sharing a look with Lindsay._ _

__"Right- of course." She gulped as if noticing, for the first time, the state that her old friend was in._ _

__“What happened to him?” She asked as she gestured for Jack to go ahead of them. Michael dizzily tried to look around but only ended up with his head hanging over the edge of Jack’s secure arms, flopping helplessly until Ryan took pity and shoved him, none too gently, back up to the bearded man’s broad shoulder._ _

__Ray shrugged, “They were emptying a warehouse downtown, came across Michael in the middle of an… altercation with some street gamblers.”_ _

__“Stupid boy.” She chastised, tutting as she rolled up her sleeves, “Put him down there then.”_ _

__Pointing to a tall wooden table against the wall that was dressed up like a hospital gurney, Lindsay walked over to the small sink area inset in the stone wall. She filled a metal basin with water and sat it down on the floor beside Ray’s feet before taking in the battered and bruised face of a man she once knew well enough to finish his sentences._ _

__“Should I ask…?” She said warily as they laid the man down, gesturing to the cuffs connecting Michael and Gavin._ _

__Geoff jabbed his finger at Michael’s unconscious form, “His idea of a getaway plan but then apparently he lost the key. We need to figure out what they’re made of before we can remove them.”_ _

__Lindsay rolled her eyes as she dunked a ratty blue cloth in the basin of water and left it there to soak while she pressed gentle fingers along his hairline. Michael whined pitifully as she skimmed over some particularly wretched looking spots, halfway between unconsciousness and pain. She soothed him with gentle words while her hands moved further down, onto his body and the t-shirt wet with rich, dark blood._ _

__A gasp escaped her when he pushed the hem up. The wound in Michael’s side was right under his ribcage, at least 4 inches long; open, gaping, and already festering with infection. Accompanied by black bruises along his ribs and dents in the bones from probably fractures, he moaned dizzily while she probed the disgusting black tar like substance oozing from the slash. No wonder he had passed out._ _

__Behind her Geoff mock gagged and backed up; he mumbled something that sounded vaguely like ‘getting beer’ as he climbed up the stairs towards the main house. Jack followed, leaving only Ray, Ryan, and Gavin - who had no choice but to stay, though he looked positively green and dazed at the sight of Michael’s injuries._ _

__Disregarding everyone else, she closed her eyes and pressed her fingertips to the sides of Michael’s ribs,letting herself absorb the aches and pains. Ray watched a wave of different emotions pass over her features; from worry to fear, to anger._ _

__“He’s a mess,” she mused out loud, not to anyone in particular, “I- I don’t know how he’s still alive.”_ _

__“Can you fix him?” Ray asked warily._ _

__“Of course I can,” She scoffed, raising her eyebrow at him, “But it’s going to hurt.”_ _

__“He’s out like a light, he won’t notice.” Gavin chimed in from the side. He had settled himself onto one of the rickety wooden chairs that had been pulled over to the table, his feet kicked up by Michael’s head._ _

__Lindsay snorted and gave Gavin’s feet a shove, knocking him away, “Oh he’ll notice.”_ _

__She ran her fingers down his chest, firm and calculating. A short exhale preceded her as she placed her palms down firm on the man’s stomach._ _

__True to her word, Michael didn’t stay knocked out for long once Lindsay’s abilities set to work inside his body._ _

__He jerked back to consciousness with a pained gasp, back arching and muscles tensing, his limbs clenching and contorting against the hard wooden surface. Though Michael was awake, all that registered in his mind was agonizing pain._ _

__Lights flicked over their heads. Waves of energy rushed like a hurricane around the small space and shook the book cases, as well as the very ground they were standing on._ _

__“Hold him down, assholes!” Lindsay hissed, finding it hard to keep her hands in place while Michael shifted and lashed out against the pain violating him._ _

__Ryan’s hands immediately clenched down on Michael’s shoulders, pressing the upper half of his body hard against the wood while his legs were grabbed by Ray. The youngest man had to put all of his weight into keeping Michael’s wildly kicking legs on the table, practically laying down over them - at least as much as he could without interfering with Lindsay’s work._ _

__It was only with great reluctance that Gavin shifted to help. He wasn’t really strong enough to be useful, he possessed more mental strength than physical, but Ryan was scowling at him, and the cuffs were cutting into him with every jolt so - at the very least - he could lessen the tension on the chain._ _

__Michael’s clenched fist caught Gavin in the mouth, throwing him back. The Brit flexed his jaw, snarling, but Lindsay’s bark of “Gavin Free!” reeled him back, and he held tighter this time._ _

__Lindsay pushed on the edges of the wound, ripping a banshee like wail from his lips as the blood around the wound bubbled. Before their eyes the open, festering wound began to knit together, the jagged edges fusing from one end to the next, dark blood rippling beneath the surface like water in the ocean._ _

__Shifting her hands to the fleshy part of Michael’s shoulder, she pressed hard, pushing on the muscles until an agonising crunch echoed through the air. Ryan’s eyes widened as the joint moved, they hadn’t even known that he’d hurt there._ _

__Then again his health hadn’t exactly been their priority._ _

__Michael was granted a slight respite once that was done, the wounds on his body had faded to light bruising and the once deep, dark wound was nothing more than a light pink scar. Lindsay shot him a sympathetic glance and moved Gavin away with her hip, barely taking any notice of the man. Her hands cupped Michael’s chin and forehead, focusing even more energy into healing._ _

__Michael tensed once more, back arching against Ryan’s grip and pitiful whines escaped his lips._ _

__His nose - which had become crooked and out of line with the rest of his features - shifted back into place with a sickening crack and an accompanying bark of pain while bruises rippled dark black to purple before finally settling into a sickly mottled green._ _

__With a long, deep sigh, Michael relaxed against the table; his chest heaved as he fought to catch his breath again and let long needed oxygen into healed lungs._ _

__Michael groaned, his head lolling to the side as he blinked up blearily to the ceiling. The agony had ended, the shooting pains fading away into nothing, but the burning light of the exposed bulb that swung unsteadily above them stabbed into his brain, blurring the world._ _

__The hands on his shoulders moved away, as did the hold on his legs but he didn’t feel like adjusting his body as one of his legs hung limply over the edge of the table. Someone stepped in front of him, blocking the light from his eyes and he squinted hard against the bright spots in his vision._ _

__He recognised that face._ _

__“Lindsay?” He whispered in confusion before darkness took him under again and his eyes slipped shut._ _

__Ray grabbed at his hand and gave Lindsay a questioning, if not slightly panicked, look but she only smiled._ _

__“He’s just sleeping,” she reassured him gently._ _

__Ryan gave a last, lingering look at the lot of them before he turned on his heel and shuffled away to join the others upstairs, grumbling under his breath as he walked. Gavin, having to stay close, pulled up a chair and flopped down onto it with a huff._ _

__Lindsay’s fingers lingered on Michael’s pulse point, registering his vitals within her mind. Questions plagued her mind and she anxiously flicked her gaze back and forth between Ray and her old, wounded friend._ _

__“I can see you, you know.” Ray pointed out, peering at Lindsay over his glasses. “I know you want to say something.”_ _

__The redhead blushed, “He remembers me.” She said slowly, but her eyes were full of sadness. Dimly she registered Ray’s lost expression._ _

__“I never told you this but-” She drew her gaze away, “I always kinda hoped he’d been kidnapped and a wiper had got him, because then that might explain why he never came back.”_ _

__“Linds…” She shook her head and ran her hands through her hair with a long sigh._ _

__“Where has he been. Ray? What’s happened to him?”_ _

__“No idea, I couldn’t believe it when they drove back up and he was there. We’re lucky you’re a stitch or we might not have gotten him back.”_ _

__“Do you think he’ll stay?” Lindsay asked, a hopeful lilt staining her voice. Her eyes brightened, but a frown returned with Ray’s unsure shake of the head._ _

__“I’m not going to pretend to know him anymore.” He sounded hurt, and LIndsay understood that. They had both been heartbroken when they awoke one day to find Michael no where to be found, and his parents not even slightly bothered that their son had just disappeared in the middle of the night._ _

__Ray filled the silence with thoughts rushing through his head. Would he stay now? He obviously hadn’t expected his old friends to be in Austin, but why was he there? And just how much trouble was he in with the guys who were chasing him? Enough to want him dead, that was for sure._ _

__“He must know a lot about first aid.” Lindsay mused into the silence, giving Michael’s hand a light squeeze, “This wasn’t a one time thing.”_ _

__Ray’s brows knitted together in confusion._ _

__“Some of the wounds I healed, they were old. From _years_ of beatings.” The woman clarified with a frown. _ _

__“I’m not surprised.” Gavin commented for the first time, his feet kicked up on the table once more, and a magazine over his eyes as he reclined in the seat. Ray jumped, having forgotten that his boyfriend was even there._ _

__His boyfriend that was getting on his last nerve._ _

__“Shut the fuck up, Gav.” Ray growled, kicking him hard. “Just fucking leave.” He hissed, forgetting one important factor - of course, Gavin hadn’t._ _

__“Well Ray while I would love nothing more than to leave this guy in the dust-” He raised his hand up, jiggling the chain that connected the two of them, “I’m a bit stuck.”_ _

__Ray rolled his eyes and looked to Lindsay with pleading eyes, “Any chance you’re gonna be able to get these off?”_ _

__Lindsay grabbed Gavins hand roughly and examined the smooth metal encircling his wrist, “If nothing else I can try,” She mumbled._ _

__Twisting and turning it over in her hands, a look of wonder on her face, she clucked her tongue and tutted. The metal was sealed, only the thinnest sliver of a seam crossing the middle from one side to the other._ _

__She had certainly never seen anything like this before._ _

__“Jesus, where did he get these things?” Ray held up his hands and shrugged._ _

__“Why did he even have them?”_ _

__Ray shrugged again._ _

__Lindsay shook her head in wonder before abruptly dropping the Brits hand back into his lap. Striding with purpose towards the other end of the basement, she opened up on of the large metal cases that were stacked across the far wall, and turned around with a slim black box in her hands._ _

__She clicked open the catch on her way back, holding it like a book as she turned her chair around to face Gavin and pulled out a long, slim tool with a curve at one end. To Gavins horror, as soon as she clicked it into a base plate that looked a lot like a heavy-duty toothbrush charger, a tiny flame flickered from the end of the curve. Blue and flickering, the tool had become some sort of tiny flame-thrower, and the Brit immediately pulled back as Lindsay reached for his hand._ _

__“You do his first!” Gavin squawked, unfortunately forgetting that the chain was well within Lindsays reach and she grabbed it tight, yanking him back._ _

__“I’m letting him rest a bit more, he’s not well, Gavin.” Her tone was stern, with no room for arguments so instead Gavin grumbled and reluctantly let her take his hand in hers._ _

__“Oi, gentle.” Gavin protested to which he received a light slap on the wrist from Lindsay._ _

__“Don’t be a baby, Gav.”_ _

__“It hurts alright? I swear it’s digging in!” Lindsay examined beneath the cuff and, sure enough, there were tiny rivers of blood running under the metal from small cuts made by the rim of the cuff._ _

__Gentle touches lingered on his skin, sending wisps of gentle healing tingling under the wounds until the skin sealed, much cleaner than Michael’s stomach wound had. The skin showed barely visible white lines, ghosts of the slivers once she was done. He looked at her briefly, eyes showing his thanks as she continued to work without taking a beat._ _

__Though he looked away while she worked, Gavin felt the vibrations of the tool, felt his arm jostled around as she switched to try different ideas on freeing him. He chose instead to stare - probably too intently - at the man on the table. He looked more relaxed in this sleep than he had on the ride over to Lindsay’s place._ _

__He wasn’t used to people from their pasts just showing up out of the blue, especially Ray’s, and Gavin understood that he was being a new kind of asshole about it. But the man and Lindsay had come as a package deal a little over 4 years ago and had nothing to say about their lives growing up; this Michael fellow seemed to be pretty important to them._ _

__After a few more moments, and the briefest hint of white heat on his skin, the cuff popped open and Lindsay let out a jubilant sound. Gavin grabbed at the freed skin gratefully, rubbing it even though the ache had left him with the wounds. His arm felt lighter._ _

__“I’m free!” He exclaimed in glee, leaping up to his feet, “Don’t say a word.” he added, spinning around the face the two still sitting by the table._ _

__Ray made a zipping motion across his mouth with his fingers but still muttered, “Gavin Free,” under his breath for Lindsay to hear._ _

__Gavin scowled playfully before turning on his heel and shooting off to the stairs, long legs catching on the wooden steps, nearly rocketing him flat on his face, but he caught himself just in time and disappeared through the door. Excited squawking noises echoed through the wood for a few seconds before the air became silent once more._ _

__Ray studied Michael closely. He had thickened out in the last six years, his shoulders broader, and muscles wrapped heavy around the skinny body Ray used to know. He'd always been a bit weedy growing up, the shortest in his grade, and thin as a rake; but he packed a punch when he needed to and really, that's how he and Ray had even become friends. There was almost a whole year between he and Lindsay and the nerdy boy from the grade below who loved video games and being alone, but Michael still protected him in the schoolyard at age 5 when the bullies were twice his size and, even though he ended up with a black eye - "hey it makes me look tough" - and a damn near busted rib, he still kept doing it._ _

__Michael had changed him._ _

__After just a few weeks of knowing each other, Ray still loved games but now he had someone to play them with. He spent more time out at Michael’s, with he and Lindsay, than his own home and it barely took a month before the three of them were inseparable._ _

__His hair was longer now, too, though he couldn’t quite tell why that seemed important._ _

__Ray could feel Lindsays watchful gaze on the back of his head._ _

__“Go upstairs, Ray - have some water, placate your boyfriends, he’ll be fine.” She said to his back, gently nudging him with one hand when he didn’t move._ _

__Ray glanced at her dumbly and nodded and patted lindsay on the thigh, taking one last look at Michael before crossing the room and following in Gavin’s footsteps._ _

__Finally alone with Michael, Lindsay let out a long breath. She took his cuffed arm in her hands and started to mop up the blood around the metal so that she could see the lock more clearly, but something caught her eye. A site of discoloration on the skin of Michael’s wrist. Swallowing nervously she let the water wash away the red until pale skin was once again visible, but the unusual mark was still there._ _

__Her eyes flicked up to Michael’s face, noting that his eyes were still closed, his breathing slow and even._ _

__With no one looking, she examined the skin more carefully. The dim yellow light from overhead supplied her with very little illumination to see but the waxy scar tissue was immediately identifiable. Eyes widening a little at the realisation, Lindsay moved to push the man’s sleeve further up his arm, revealing more thick, jagged scarred skin in a line down his forearm._ _

__However, as her fingers brushed the soft, dark skin, a large hand closed around her wrist, stopping her from lifting the sleeve any further. She pulled back in shock, Michael’s grip loosening as the sleeve slipped back down over the scar, and he let out a sigh._ _

__“Michael,” she whispered but he just shook his head dimly._ _

__“Don’t.”_ _

__He sat up slowly, his body feeling stronger and more rested than it had felt in a long time. His feet barely touched the floor when he swung his legs around to sit up, so he let them dangle an inch from the dirt and breathed a soft sigh, glancing up at Lindsay who stood nervously, unsure of what to say._ _

__“I- I just need your arm to-” she gestured to the metal around his wrist, cringing at how unsteady her voice sounded._ _

__“I lost the key,” he said absently._ _

__“I already did Gavin’s,” she pointed out and Michael realised the heavy weight he could feel on the end of the chain, the second cuff hanging off the bed, swinging with new momentum. The lack of British twang in the room seemed foreign, even though he had barely been with the guy for a few hours._ _

__He shook his head in disbelief, “No way… That’s impossible.”_ _

__“I guess you don’t know me that well anymore.” She shrugged, and Michael couldn’t deny the slight tremble in her voice._ _

__He let her take his hand, watching intently as she performed the same routine she had practised with Gavin. Unlike the Brit, Michael stared long and hard, barely even blinking as she worked. He blinked owlishly as the seam parted, cuff clicking open and releasing his hand. Waxy dark skin peeked out under his sleeve and he snatched his hand away, hiding the marks once more._ _

__In the silence that followed, Michael tested his body. He noted that his lungs were taking a full, deep breath for the first time since that fight in the bar in Houston a few months back. It hadn’t been his fault that the guy he had been hitting on happened to have a boyfriend; a big, burly, ex army boyfriend at that. Michael hadn’t even been that interested in the guy, he was boring and jockish but he could have been a fun one night stand that ended with him disappearing into the night like an asshole. Because sometimes he just _needed_ company, whatever form it came in._ _

__A punch to his gut had cracked a rib, which then never quite healed right._ _

__His lungs expanded so far that it strained Michael to hold it in, but he revelled in the welcome stretch._ _

__On top of that it appeared his awkward shoulder - that had been dislocated and reduced more time than he could count - now sat comfortably within the socket and didn’t even slightly hurt as he rolled both shoulders back and forth. The aches and pains that had riddled him for months, _years_ even, as well as the new injuries from- the day before? He couldn’t tell how long had passed- had disappeared like magic. Though he knew full well that magic had nothing to do with it.   
Lindsay had healed him._ _

__Speaking of Lindsay, he could feel the redhead staring at him out of the corner of his eye. Whether she was still thinking deeply about the scar she had seen adorning his forearm - it had been a dark time - or if it was something else he didn’t know, but he didn’t appreciate a gaze that burned into the back of his skull so much._ _

__He regarded her slowly, raising an eyebrow as if to invite her to speak, and she took the chance without a single hesitation._ _

__“What happened to you, Michael?”_ _

__Michael scowled, swinging his legs over the side of the table, “That’s none of your business, Lindsay.”_ _

__“I think it is. Me and you? We don’t keep secrets from each other,”_ _

__“I don’t know if you realised this but it’s been six years, things changed,” He said, feet hitting the floor lightly as he hopped down from the makeshift bed._ _

__“ They didn’t have to! _six_ years, Michael, why did you go?”_ _

__“It was better that way.” He ran the heels of his palms firmly down his jeans, attempting - and failing - to smooth out the creases as he spoke._ _

__Lindsay shook her head, a look of disbelief on her face, “Better for who? Because it sure as hell wasn’t better fo-” Michael’s head snapped up._ _

__“It was better for everyone!” He hissed. His breathing was picking up, though he couldn’t tell whether it was from anger or something else entirely._ _

__The volume of Lindsay’s voice rose to meet his, “How? What was so important that you vanished one day and never came back?”_ _

__Michael growled, “Why can’t you just fucking leave it alone?”_ _

__He was subconsciously backing away from her, his hips touching a low set of draws, and he was sure he was paling._ _

__“Maybe because the first time I see my best friend in years, he’s on my table _half dead_ from a beating with a body battered almost beyond repair from past injuries? You owe me an explanation, Michael.”_ _

__“I don’t owe you anything! I’ve taken care of myself!” A shiver ran down Lindsay’s spine as his voice shook._ _

__A slew of harsh words danced on her tongue, pressing at her lips as they tried to escape but she knew enough about people and body language to know. Michael was scared. His hands were shaking, curled into fists not in rage but with nerves, he could barely stand to look her in the eye for longer than a second at a time and he looked on the verge of tears._ _

__Whatever he had been through over the last six years, whether his fault or not, had obviously been far worse than any pain she had felt._ _

__She sighed._ _

__“Michael,” Lindsay approached slowly, arm outstretched as if she were approaching a terrified animal, “Look at me! I get that things have changed, that we’ve grown up.. But this, this isn’t you. This is not my Michael.”_ _

__“I guess you don’t know me that well anymore.” Michael replied softly, parrotting her previous words back at her and Lindsays heart clenched._ _

__Michael’s throat tightened uncomfortably, his hands shaking as he rubbed at the bloodied spot on his t-shirt nervously._ _

__“I’ll see you around.” He whispered, voice too choked to say much else without letting tears escape._ _

__In truth it had taken him this long to forget how things were before. Those first few days after he left had been hell, his heart tearing painfully with every mile he covered getting away from the town he called home, and the friends he called family. Lindsay was right, they never kept secrets, never hid, and he had changed. A lot. He hadn’t had a choice, he had to let his heart harden to protect himself and keep it from breaking._ _

__Being here, seeing her again… It ripped open old wounds he had kept crudely sewn up for all this time. Ray hadn’t been too hard, his heart beat hard when he saw the man but it was nothing compared to the ache he felt seeing Lindsay’s heart broken face._ _

__He turned his back on her, sniffling pitifully, pathetically._ _

__“You can’t leave again,” the break in Lindsay’s voice shattered every resolve he had left._ _

__He allowed himself a chance._ _

__Crossing the room in a handful of strides he wrapped his arms around his old friend; her face pressed into his shoulder and wet his shirt with tears._ _

__She smelled like home. Although the sights and sounds of life in Jersey were so very far away, Lindsay still held onto the sweet scent he remembered._ _

__But with the memories of home came the sharp pain reminding him why he left. It reminded him of sitting in his bedroom, knees drawn up to his chest as he held in sobs, of knowing what he had to do, and not being able to change it. The smell made him think too much of home._ _

__He tore himself out of Lindsay’s arms and ran for the stairs, ignoring her broken call that followed._ _

__Gavin turned around as Michael swung open the door at the top of the basement stairs. The door opened out into a kitchen area, surprisingly clean and white with a reasonably sized island in the centre, where all five men were sitting, obviously in mid conversation when Michael interrupted._ _

__“Oh look, the asshole’s awake.” Geoff announced obnoxiously._ _

__Michael bit his lip to stop his retort, knowing it would come out choked and no where near as confident as he would need in this situation. Instead he folded his arms across his chest and crossed the room to the open panel door leading outside._ _

__Before him a dirt track stretched out across the horizon, not even a single structure in sight, only trees and dust for, what looked like, miles. The sun had started to set, since it had been the middle of the day when Michael had passed out on the ground, he could safely say he had been around here for a day or two at the least. He wasn’t sure if that was enough time for the ‘debt collectors’ to assume he was dead. It would be safer to leave the State._ _

__He didn’t look forward to it, not even a little. Over the last year Texas had become his home in more ways than one. Houston had his apartment, though messy and disorganised with weeks worth of take-out containers littering the floor, it was a warm roof over his head and somewhere to hide when he wanted to be alone. Which happened a lot these days._ _

__He wasn’t sure whether knowing Ray and Lindsay had been so close was a positive or negative but his heart clenched at the thought that he could have been feet away from them so many times during his odd visits to Austin._ _

__Michael dug the heels of his palms into his eyes, attempting to plug up the moisture welling up there. Fat tears rolled down his cheeks and he scrubbed at them roughly, jolting when a hand touched his shoulder and he spun around, coming face to face with Ray._ _

__“Where are you going?”_ _

__“I have to-”_ _

__“You’re just gonna leave?” Ray asked, painful disappointment clear in his eyes._ _

__Michael’s eyes swept the landscape, eyes focusing on the track before him, the dirt lining the road, anything but Ray’s face. Ray exhaled fast, frustrated._ _

__“Just like last time, huh?” Michael dug his heel into the ground, tucking his hands into his pockets as he turned away._ _

__“Tell them I said thanks for saving my ass.” He said finally, he could practically feel the cogs running overtime in Ray’s head before footsteps darted after him and words soon followed._ _

__“Wait!”_ _

__Whipping around, Michael plastered a look of annoyance on his face, “Ray…”_ _

__“Shut up.” Ray said bluntly, “Look we’re miles away from anything here, at least let us give you a ride to an airport or a station, a motel at least?”_ _

__Michael shook his head, “I’ll be fine.”_ _

__“Sure,” Ray said, rolling his eyes, “because you’ve sure done fine so far.”_ _

__Michael bristled, “I’m alive aren’t I.”_ _

__“Yeah and so am I,” Ray ventured, and a pang shot through Michael’s chest like an arrow. He turned around, managing a few steps away from Ray on shaking legs, he had no idea what he had just said-_ _

__“I know why you left.” -or maybe he did._ _

__Michael stopped dead in place, his heartbeat hammering in his chest. If Ray truly _knew_ the reason Michael had stepped out of their lives so suddenly then why would he be trying to get him to stay? Didn’t he realise what that meant?_ _

__Hell, Michael barely knew what that meant._ _

__“How?” He asked, strangled._ _

__Ray let out a slow breath, “Kdin.”_ _

__Michael frowned, growling under his breath and span around on his heel, “You set the fucking sniffer dogs on my trail?”_ _

__“You were 16 and missing, Michael, of course I was going to look for you.” Ray said, exasperated._ _

__Michal scoffed. “That just worked out great didn’t it.” Ray sighed, shrugging and turning to lean against the side of the van._ _

__“Yeah well, your powers hadn’t fully manifested at that point at least. He couldn’t see where you were going but he saw a glimpse of what you’d done. What you’d seen.”_ _

__“So you know why I had to leave then?” Michael whispered in a small voice. He had never been the type to be timid but this was a lot to take in over the space of a few hours and he was feeling pretty tired from the residual effects of Lindsay’s healing._ _

__“No, Michael, i don’t, and I don’t think you really do either.” He wasn’t wrong._ _

__“You got powerful.” Ray continued slowly, “By the time I was strong enough to find you, you were strong enough to hide, so we lost you,” Fuck, everyone had that stupid break in their voices today._ _

__“I practised,” Michael admitted, feeling his resolve shaking and cracking._ _

__“Yeah no kidding,” Ray laughed, “I could tell.” The tension in the air lifted and Michael’s head stopped swimming so much._ _

__“Look,” Ray continued, talking slower, laughter dying in his throat, “just let us get you as far as we can, at least to somewhere safe, I promise I won’t follow you.”_ _

__Thankful that his old friend was just as empathetic as ever, knowing when to step back and give Michael his space, Michael nodded. On side of him desperately wanted to ask Ray why, why he didn’t hate him for knowing what he knew, why he wanted Michael to stay with him after everything; but that part was quickly crushed as Ray gave a fleeting glance and disappeared back inside._ _

__Michael stood like a fool, feet crushing dents into the soft dirt as he waited._ _

__Jack wasn’t entirely convinced on the idea of getting him back safely, “He’s probably going to just get in trouble again.” He had argued, but one look from his Puerto Rican boyfriend had made him give in and get the keys._ _

__Jack left him outside the train station in San Antonio - far from Houston where he could be spotted. He had a backpack, which Gavin had - no so willingly given up - with a set of fresh clothes ‘you smell like a sewer, dude,” a handful of protein bars, and a bottle of water that weighed him down as he walked._ _

__Inside the seam of the front pocket was a slip of paper with 10 digits written in messy, thick sharpie, but Michael was content to pretend it wasn’t there._ _

__Even as he waved the bearded man off, expressing as much gratitude as he could muster, he knew it would be a little while before he actually made it out of Texas. Hitchhiking with no money only got a man so far, and he would need to turn a few tricks for enough cash to get him to the next stop, let alone the next state._ _

__He’d be lying if he said this was his first time trying… unsavory tactics._ _

__It was a while before they all met again._ _

__\---_ _

__Michael wrapped his arms around himself tightly, the harsh winter breeze chilling him to the bone. He trudged through a foot of snow, vehicle headlights passing him by in a busy blur. He tripped over a concealed curb, staggering sideways and only just managing to catch himself._ _

__A tattered and torn beanie sat low on his head with the rest of his pale face covered by the hood that was pulled tight around his neck. Stuffing his hands in his pockets did little to alleviate the frostbite nipping at his fingertips._ _

__He staggered once more, the icy ground sweeping his feet out from under him and he collapsed to his knees, bone colliding harshly with the solid street. Rolling onto his back as he shivered, a round of harsh coughs exploded from his lungs leaving him gasping for breath, and pleading for one of the passing faces to stop for him. No one came; even as his lips began to turn a sharp shade of blue and his breaths became shallower until they were nothing but wispy thoughts._ _

__The last thing he saw as the world greyed out, the twinkling lights turned black, and his lungs expelled the last morsel of air he had left, was the silhouetted figure of Lady Liberty, standing proud against the sky - and his eyes slipped closed._ _

__Hundreds of miles away a dark haired man sprung from sleep clutching his head as hands brushed his skin, trying to calm him._ _

__“Michael.”_ _

__\---_ _

__“He wants me to find him, Geoff, he’s never wanted that before.”_ _

__“He put us all in danger!”_ _

__“Come on, how many times has Gavin done that too?”_ _

__“That’s different...that’s Gavin.”_ _

__“And this is Michael.”_ _

__\---_ _

__New York City was cold as hell._ _

__After living for months in the sauna of Texas, the bitter wind that hit Michaels face when he first arrived had chilled him to the bone within minutes. November in New York brought a chill that lingered in every lungful of breath, and Michael was grateful to the soup kitchens and homeless shelters that kept him warm for just a few nights. The clothes that Ray had given him before leaving had been designed for Texas, or maybe Florida, t-shirts that had to be layered up underneath his tattered leather jacket, and short pants that left his calves exposed to the elements._ _

__It was no easier to suffer through now, two months later. Of course the fact that he hadn't been inside for 3 days didn't help._ _

__Apparently shelters wouldn’t keep a single, young male forever._ _

__Not many businesses would be caught dead hiring a subhuman, the name was dirty but it described them the best, especially one as volatile as Michael. Not that his power did much besides keeping he and the people around him hidden from Sniffs and Watchers, but his attitude stank like year old cheese._ _

__If not for the purple splotch of a mark on his shoulder blade he could hide the mutation inside him, but he couldn’t change who he was completely._ _

__The discoloration, almost like a tattoo, marred the skin of all second generation freaks, a blaring announcement that they were inherently abnormal._ _

__Michael’s rested just below his left shoulder blade. Ray’s was on his ankle, Lindsay’s - a little more hidden - inked the sole of her right foot. He’d seen Gavin’s on the back of his neck and, if he had stuck around with the others long enough, he might have been able to say where there’s were too, but he knew the colors. Colors which signified what type of subhuman you were. Purple meant shadow, green was mover, black for bleeder and on and on until all the bases were covered. Michael had never questioned it as such, only figured it had something to do with their blood chemistry._ _

__Either way, with or without the mark, Michael wasn’t the most desirable of hire, and he knew that without even trying. The street corners only got him so much, only so far, before he felt like he could get into too much of a routine there, and walked away. Street gamblers were few and far between in cities, much more accustomed to living outside the city limits, and Michael wasn’t nearly accustomed enough with those areas to attempt a gamble that would end with him running. Again._ _

__Those things combined, he got through two months of dragging, cold days before he had no where else to go but the ground._ _

__He had to physically restrain himself from taking Ray’s number out of the backpack._ _

__\---_ _

__The city was alight with the florescent bulbs that linked each building to the next, crisscrossing and winding high above Michael’s head as he sat in the doorway of a store that had been closed for the duration of the holidays._ _

__Christmas was coming up fast, and with it came the white, flaky snow that drifted down in droves and clung to Michael’s thick socks and the concrete at his feet. The faces that passed him belonged to humans too busy to pay any attention, apart from the handful of people who thre change at his with looks of pity, or scoffed at his misfortune and just kept walking. He never thought he would be a person who would welcome handouts but he really started wishing someone would toss a pair of full pants his way._ _

__He curled himself into a tighter ball, pressing himself back into the door and coughed harshly into his knees where they touched his chest. He’d picked up a bug or something after the first month and he just couldn’t seem to shake it._ _

__He had just begun to drift off when a small hand touched his shoulder and shook him. He opened unfocused eyes and came face to face with a cop._ _

__“Sorry, man, I gotta move you on.” The officer said gently. He was young, probably on his first winter rotation and looked genuinely sorry to be waking the frozen, homeless man._ _

__Michael slung his backpack over one shoulder, shivering violently as the wind hit him the second he left the safety of the doorway. Immediately he wanted to turn back and sit back down but the officer was still stood there, watching him. He was young but he wasn’t dumb._ _

__Easily slipping into the gaggle of people still present even at the late hour, he shielded himself from the cold within the smothering crowd until he was off the main strip and thrown into the open world all on his own. With his backpack held tightly in his grasp, his pants ripped at the hems, and a tightness in his chest that clenched at his heart, he felt very small._ _

__Two weeks later he was still wandering._ _

__Christmas had come and gone, store fronts glittering golden before settling back into old routines, the streets had been deserted and dark on the day itself, and Michael found himself drawn to the lower floor windows of apartments buildings, staring in through frosted glass as snow settled on his scuffed up beanie._ _

__His stomach never seemed to stop growling, grumbling angrily at him as it begged to be filled with the comforting food that filled the air with sweet smells all through the days that followed. Fast becoming accustomed to small morsels of leftovers tossed into the trash, Michael soothed his unhappy insides with greasy Turkey carcass and soggy mounds of potatoes and vegetables. He couldn't manage to scrape much together but it was enough to keep him on his feet._ _

__That was until the cold - turned flu - that he wasn't shaking off took hold of him full force. Fluid in his lungs threatened to drown him every time he tried to lie down, and breaths turned to wheezing sometime around New Year's Day._ _

__Michael knew that the new year had rung in only because he was in New York and there was no way he could miss the screeching sounds thousands of people made as the ball came down in Times Square._ _

__He was tired. Weak and exhausted and just plain wiped out. By the time he had made his way through the city a few days into the new year, he was so tired he could barely stay standing any longer and found refuge in the back of an alleyway just to the side of a movie theatre._ _

__He curled up behind the trash cans and pulled the tarp over his head for a little more protection against the cold. Footsteps passed by the opening to the alleyway, chattering voices echoing along the brick walls, but no one came close. No one even looked in at the man slowly losing consciousness in under a bright blue barrier._ _

__With shaking hands he opened the lining of the backpack and pulled out the slip of crumpled paper, the number still stood out bold on the page. Ten little numbers. There was a bar just outside the city that had a payphone they allowed people to use once for free. Ten little numbers and this could be over, all the pain and ice in his soul. One phone call and-_ _

__No. Ray was better off without him. Ray was _safer_ without him. _ _

__His shivering had stopped, his body too numb to notice how utterly frozen he had become. The slip of paper fluttered to the ground as he hunched over, his lungs trying to force their way up his throat with the force of his painful hacking._ _

__Unlike the build up, Michael’s last energy left him in one fast motion, throwing him forward until he was curled up sideways, unconscious on the cold street._ _

__\---_ _

__He woke up swaddled in warmth._ _

__The kind of warmth that seemed to soak directly into his bone marrow and boiled through his blood. It was something Michael hadn’t felt in a long time, years even, ever since the day he had walked away from New York for the first time. It was soft, comforting, and almost too good to be true._ _

__It took a few slow moments in the warmth to register the pressure on his hand and the weight lowering - whatever he was lying on - down on one side. Only then did he decide to let his eyes open and risk falling out of the dream world he was certain he had been sucked in to._ _

__A mop of black hair covered up his view of who had their top half spread out on the bed beside him. He was underneath a mountain of soft blankets, his arms laying over the sheets and Ray - it was obviously Ray - had his hand loosely grasped. He didn’t recognise the clothes he was wearing._ _

__Michael squeezed the hand and Ray shifted, sleepily glancing up before springing away from the bed almost comically as he saw the open eyes of his friend._ _

__“You’re awake!” He squealed roughly, sleep heavy in his voice._ _

__“You promised you weren’t going to follow me.” Michael croaked, _thank you for following me.__ _

__“You promised we’d always be friends.” Ray replied, leaning forward, his hand nervously touching the sheets inches from Michaels hand, looking suspiciously like he wanted to hold it again, “and friends don’t let friends die in an alleyway”_ _

___Die?_ _ _

__His head was fuzzy, his memory left somewhere to freeze over on the streets of New York. Luckily the look of confusion that must have been blatant on his face asked the questions he needed without his mouth forming the words._ _

__“I saw you, you died,” Ray explained, fixing Michael with vaguely uncomfortable eye contact._ _

__“I couldn’t tell if it was in a day or a week, or a month, but I came just in case. I didn’t want to be too-” He cut himself off, shaking his head._ _

__“Too late.” Michael finished for him, moving to sit up slowly._ _

__He barely registered the room he was in. It looked modern, clean and open with white walls and simple furnishings. A mismatch of chairs seemed to have been brought in from elsewhere, not matching anything in the room but they were piled against the far wall._ _

__“Was it really that bad?” He asked, drawing his attention back to Ray._ _

__Ray cocked his head in thought, voice shaking as he replied, “I think you were a few days off my dream. You were stone cold and barely breathing when we found you but you were alive. We thought about taking you to a clinic but-”_ _

__"Hospitals won't take a subhuman." Ray frowned a little at the use of the slur but otherwise nodded slowly and reached over to pass Michael his glasses._ _

__They sat a little crooked on his nose and Ray resisted the urge to straighten them for him._ _

__“How are you feeling?” Ray asked, his hand finding the full glass that sat on the table beside Michael’s head, “Water?”_ _

__Michael nodded, “Please. And uhh, Rough. No Lindsay?”_ _

__Shaking his head, Ray held the glass steady at Michael’s lips so he could drink. Michael raised his hands to take it but they were batted away and it was only then he felt the true extent of his bodies weakness, his hands shaking with fine tremors,_ _

__“She’s out of town, didn’t want to make her take the long trip if my dream hadn’t been completely true.”_ _

__An almighty crash rang out from down the hall and Michael jumped, a glob of water sloshed over the edge of the glass and landed in his lap. His eyes flicked to the door nervously, subconsciously shifting closer to the headboard._ _

__“It’s okay,” Ray rushed to assure him, “probably just Gavin and Geoff wrestling again.”_ _

__Cocking his head in question, Michael frowned, “They’re all here?”_ _

__Ray’s face flushed to an interesting shade of red and bit his lip nervously._ _

__“We come as a package deal.”_ _

__A package de- oh. His eyes widened._ _

__“You mean…” He pointed to the door, “all of you?”_ _

__Red faced, Ray nodded, a blinding grin decorating his face._ _

__“Wow, you _really_ shucked the whole no commitments thing, didn’t you.” _ _

__Nodding again, Ray’s eyeline drifted to the door, and the noises going on beyond it, “Best thing I’ve ever done.”_ _

__Michael smiled honestly, a genuine, toothy smile at the knowledge that Ray was so happy. He deserved it, he really did. On the other hand, Michael felt his heart bottom out with the weight of loneliness that he had tried to desperately to ignore._ _

__Distracting himself from the sudden feeling, he instead drew his attention elsewhere, asking, “Where are we?”_ _

__“Kdin still lives in New York.” Ray said in lieu of an answer._ _

__“Kdin did well for himself.” Michael replied, letting out a low whistle, more than impressed._ _

__“That he did,” Ray laughed, “He’s going places in production.”_ _

__“Really?” The word came out too quickly, his throat irritated by all the talking and quickly fell into a coughing fit which burned the back of his throat and clenched at his chest. Ray leapt forward to rub his back firmly while he hunched over, the fluid in his lungs rattling noisily._ _

__“Careful, you managed to score yourself pneumonia and you’re gonna be feeling it for a while.” He held the water up to Michael’s lips again, and let him splutter around the rim for a few seconds before the burn subsided and the next breath came easier._ _

__“Sleeping beauty awakens,” A voice said and a second later Jack stuck his head around the door, “Good morning fair maiden.” Michael blushed at the name and gave an awkward two finger wave while Ray span around to face them._ _

__“Geoff and Gavin still alive out there?” Instead of answering, Jack turned around and dragged the first of the two through the doorway by the scruff of his collar._ _

__“He survives to see another day,”_ _

__“Though Kdin might need a new xbox,” Gavin added, only looking slightly guilty as he tumbled through the door, followed by Ryan._ _

__“Destruction of property? Really, guys?”_ _

__Geoff was quick to point a finger at the Brit, “Gavin started it.”_ _

__“I question who’s the oldest in this relationship sometimes.” Ray mumbled, but his expression was nothing but fondness. Michael’s heart throbbed._ _

__Geoff beckoned to an old wooden stool in the corner and it shot towards him like a rocket, stopping still just in time for him to fall down onto it with a sigh. Jack perched on the end of the bed while Gavin and Ryan stood at the back._ _

__“How are you?” It took a second for Michael to realise Jack’s question had been directed at him._ _

__His head moved jerkily, a nervous nod, though his eyes focused on the drawn blinds covering the window, “I’m okay.”_ _

__Jack nodded thoughtfully, patting Michael’s knee over the blankets in an awkward, yet comforting gesture._ _

__They fell into a silence that felt more comfortable than tense, though most of them were still watching Michael closely, it seemed to be much less hostile than when they first met._ _

__“You need a haircut.” Ryan remarked finally, breaking the silence._ _

__“If you’re going to come and live with us then you’re not going to look like a street rat.” Geoff, who had been suspiciously quiet, agreed._ _

__Michael nodded, the man had a point, he did look kind of gross and-_ _

__“Wait.”_ _

__“Oh yeah you heard him right.” Ray said, “You’re coming back with us and you’re not going to say no. I’m not letting you get away a seco- uhh, third time.”_ _

__Michael immediately started to shake his head, the movement made him dizzy but that was beyond him, he couldn’t go with them. He couldn’t intrude; and what’s more the thugs in Austin were probably still there, he couldn’t put them in danger._ _

__Ryan stared at him and a nagging pull in the back of his mind set him still, “Look, you obviously can’t take care of yourself,” Although the Pusher was speaking softly, his ability keeping Michael steady, he wasn’t putting any thoughts into the mans head. They were trusting him to make the decision on his own._ _

__Michael bristled, “ I can take care of...myself...fi-” He trailed off as Ryan’s judgemental gaze fell on him and he realised how wrong he was._ _

__Six years and he’d racked up a gambling debt of over two hundred thousand dollars, gone into an emotional tailspin and almost got himself killed at the hands of street thugs; a couple of months alone in New York and he’d nearly died. He felt his heart plummet and he suddenly became fixated with the blanket at the end of his fingertips._ _

__Michael couldn’t feel the mood in the room shift, but he heard Jack speaking in low tones, “Babe, why don’t you go see where Kdin’s got to with the food.”_ _

__Ray eyed the group warily as he stood up, the loss of weight shaking the bed._ _

__“Don’t do anything to him.” He warned, pointing his finger at everyone in turn, bar Michael. As soon as he left the room, all gazes turned to the man on the bed._ _

__“So…” Michael ventured, subconsciously pulling his knees up to his chest. It was only just hitting him that the last time he had been alone with these guys one of them had been threatening to cut off his hand._ _

__They all stared at Michael for a moment before Jack broke the silence. “He loves you,” The man said quietly. There was no need to elaborate on who he was talking about._ _

__“We don’t know why, but he does,” Geoff added._ _

__Gavin cut in, “I think you’re a bit of a prick myself,” The Brit received a thump to the ribs and quickly set his cocky grin to a softer expression, “Sorry.”_ _

__Michael waved him off, shaking his head with a dazed expression._ _

__“Why are you telling me this?” Michael’s eyebrows knitted together in concern as they each shared a look between them._ _

__“If you can’t tell, we’re all dating,” Ryan began, shuffling forward in his seat - he knew, but they didn’t know that, “And if I can read my boyfriend as well as I think I can - and I can - then he’s going to want this five to become a six and you need to know how he feels.”_ _

__“But you love him too, so that’s okay isn’t it.” Michael’s eyes widened with Geoff’s words and he blushed, not even taking into account the fondness in the - previously hostile - mans voice._ _

__He had never even admitted that to himself so how could this complete stranger know. It had just been a friend crush, everyone had those, he had convinced himself of that long ago. Crushing on your best friend in highschool was a normal thing, TV taught him that._ _

__Michael tried to hide his embarrassment. “How did you know?”_ _

__“You just told me.” Geoff chuckled and Michael realised he’d been tricked._ _

__Michael snorted, “Fuck.”_ _

__Suddenly his throat tightened._ _

__“Could I-” Michael’s voice wavered with nerves and he cleared his throat, which turned into an embarrassing fit of - less painful - chesty coughs. Jack held a large, awkward hand to his back but otherwise they let him recover on his own._ _

__“Can I ask you something?” He croaked out once the fit had subsided._ _

__The replies were affirmative and all at once. Michael swallowed nervously._ _

__“What made you change your minds? About me, I mean. You hated me in Austin and now you’re willing to…” His hands clenched the sheets anxiously, “Date me.”_ _

__The laugh that flowed through the air was nothing short of disconcerting, but when Jack started up the answer, he was nothing short of kind._ _

__“Do you know how long it takes to drive from Texas to New York?” Before Michael could reply to Jack, Gavin was already answering for him._ _

__“Long enough to hear your entire life story from the day you met Ray to the day you left,”_ _

__“Also long as dicks, and I really fucking hope you’re worth it.” Geoff interrupted._ _

__“Geoff, please.” Jack scolded gently. “Michael we know you’re not a bad person.”_ _

__“Just shitty at first impressions.” Geoff twiddled his mustache menacingly but with a smile on his lips, and Ryan looped an arm around his neck, squeezing playfully._ _

__“Geoff, seriously.”_ _

__Geoff held his hands up in surrender and curled himself around Ryan’s forearm, it was a sort of cute gesture in a weird way, but it distracted Michael from the nerves._ _

__Jack continued, unhindered, “As for the dating part… Well that’s something that may come along later, but we’re at least willing to give you a chance.”_ _

__Gavin fixed him with a serious look, “As long as you’re willing to give _us_ one.” The seriousness seemed foreign on his tongue, but the expression on his face was genuine. _ _

__They heard Ray’s footsteps before they saw his face and he rounded the corner, tucking his phone back into his jean pocket. It shifted focus from Michael and for that he was glad._ _

__“He’s stuck downtown he should be back so- what did I miss?” He pulled up short as everyone stared at him, all at varying proximities to the man on the bed, who was gazing at him with a fond expression._ _

__“Okay what did you guys say because if I have to-”_ _

__Geoff stuck his hand out to cross in front of the man, stopping both his movement and his words, “Shut up a minute.” He instructed gently._ _

__Opening his arms and sitting up a little straighter, Michael gestured towards him, “Ray, come here.”_ _

__With apprehension, Ray edged towards the bed. He knelt down on the squishy blankets, dipping the bed as he crawled towards his friend. Both men let out satisfied sighs the moment Ray flopped against Michael and wrapped his hands tightly around the man’s slender back. He frowned, when they had first met again Michael had a bit of bulk on his body, muscles and strength; but now...now there was barely anything between his skin and the bones of his spine._ _

__He hadn’t been able to really tell when they had picked him up, the layered up clothing had been deceiving, but now that he was in Kdin’s spare clothes - and Michael had always been the larger of the two - he looked swamped, tiny, like a child._ _

__His arms could completely wrap around the wiry frame and more, and he immediately made the decision that, once they were back in Austin Michael would be fed Five Guys burgers until he burst. Or, at the very least, until he weighed the right amount._ _

__Feeling the hesitation in his friends hands, Michael held tighter._ _

__“Thank you.” Michael whispered into Ray’s collarbone and he felt the most minute of nods against him in response._ _

__Michael bit his lip, his mind racing as he weighed up pro’s and con’s of his next move, but in the end it happened without his full consciousness._ _

__Their lips met in a sweet, chaste kiss, and there were no protests from beyond the bed._ _


End file.
